Black Mountain, NC – The local Southeast Women's Herbal Conference seems to be growing like gangbusters--in years when most conference events are shrinking. Women from all over the Southeast and beyond are headed in droves this weekend (October 12-14) to the Southeast Women's Herbal Conference in Black Mountain.

Started in 2005 with 200 women, the conference has grown year by year, reaching 900 in 2011, and now over 1000 women were registered the week before this year's event."I love this conference! It was the high point of my year for the last five years! I have made lifelong friends," says participant Buffie Tree who comes from Vestavia, Alabama.

Predicted to be a beautiful, sunny, leaf-peeping weekend in the Western NC mountains, the conference has become a strong annual tradition for many women wishing to steep themselves in teachings on herbal education, do-it-yourself medicine, women’s empowerment, nourishing foods, spirituality, sexuality, and more.

The weekend is designed for women to celebrate the Wise Woman Tradition, the most ancient of all healing paths, with a lineage of granny healers, midwives, and family medicine. This tradition uses the familiar, seasonal, and fun to make health care accessible, inexpensive, effective, and safe.

Says conference founder and director, Corinna Wood, “This is our 8th year of hosting this event, and the word about our women-centered focus, wide range of classes, and ecstatic celebration has just got around to more and more women. Here we are, a web of women in the mountains of Asheville, creating this momentous event together—with all our teachers, participants, work exchangers, sponsors, and young women, we’re delighted to be growing our circle to more than a thousand this year!”

The Conference begins on Friday at 1:00 with a Welcome Jam featuring Leah Smith of Rising Appalachia, and continues through the weekend with over 70 classes presented by more than 35 teachers.

The opportunity for online registration has passed but the conference takes walks-ins on-site Friday, October 12th for the same online price of $295 (meals and lodging are not included). Information on late registration can be found at Frequently Asked Questions on the Southeast Wise Women website. Continuing education credits for nurses are available.

The conference is sponsored at the highest level by Red Moon Herbs with additional sponsorship by the Laurel of Asheville, Whole Foods, Natural Awakenings of Western NC, Natural Awakenings of Knoxville and Chattanooga, Fun Things to do in the Mountains, Natural Awakenings of Upstate, SC, Western NC Woman, French Broad Food Coop, Mt. Xpress, BioBusiness Center & Lab, Ingles, Flagpole, Asheville.com, Frontier Natural Products, Traditional Medicinals, The Weston A. Price Foundation and United Plant Savers.